Here’s the line-up for the last Late Late Show of the year
Ed Sheeran’s Belfast born grandad was an ardent royalist and it would have been "cool" if he could have seen him pick up the MBE, he tells Ryan Tubridy on Friday’s Late Late Show.
Sheeran performs Nancy Mulligan, the song inspired by his grandparents William and Anne Sheeran who married despite being from different religions, on Friday night’s show.
"Nancy Mulligan is about my grandfather and my grandmother. My grandfather is a Protestant from Belfast and my grandmother is a Catholic from Wexford and when they got married it was like a real thing. But they went against people, got married and ended up being married for 66 years before my grandfather passed away.”
The MBE was a “really big deal” for himself and his Dad, he says.
“My grandfather was a huge, huge royalist and loved the royal family, had commemorative plates and sh*t. He was bang into it. He sadly passed away in 2013 but when the MBE came in, I remember being with my Dad and being like, ‘ah sh*t, wouldn’t it be cool if granddad was alive now to see this’,” he says.
The interview also deals with the inspiration behind Galway Girl, his love of Ireland, his avoidance of social media and a potential Bond song.
As well as performing his current number one hit Perfect, Sheeran also treats the audience to the Christmas classic, Fairytale of New York, alongside some of cream of young Irish talent – Picture This, Lisa Hannigan and Beoga.
Also on tomorrow night’s show, Joe Canning will talk about why this was Galway’s year after 29 long years waiting for Liam MacCarthy to come calling.
He will also reveal how both of his parents getting cancer gave him a new sense of perspective and telling viewers about his eye-opening humanitarian trip to Syria with Unicef.
The parents of 11-year-old Milly - who took her own life weeks after posting a message on Instagram that she was unhappy with her appearance and wanted to die - will speak about their terrible tragedy and how they believe we are failing young people with mental health issues.
Fiona and Tim Tuomey, will be telling viewers more needs to be done to help prevent other families suffering similar tragedies.
Comedian Jason Byrne will tell the bizarre story of his vasectomy and its aftermath while Brendan Grace will bring Bottler, Dublin’s favourite schoolboy and incorrigible messer, to the screen to tickle funny bones.
Tune in for the last Late Late Show of the year, RTÉ One, Friday, December 15 at 9.35pm
